Improvement in railway car-couplings



W. BENSON.

Oar Coupling.

Patented Feb. 15, 1870.

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IUPETERS, PHOYQ-LITHOGRAPHER V/ASHPGTON D C hint-ted glam patentdtjiilim.

CHARLES W. BENSON, OF FREDERICK CITY, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR FOR ONE-HALF TORICHARD C. WATERS, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 99,818, dated February 15, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN .I I AILWAY CAR-COUPLINGS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. BENSON, of Frederick City, in the countyof Frederick, and State of lilaryland, have invented a new and improvedCar- Conpling; and I do. hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings,'makin, part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is an elevation of one side of my improved coupling-box.

Figure 2 is a front view of the same.

Figure 3 is a section taken longitudinally through the center of thecoupling-box, in a vertical plane.

Figure 4 is a top view of the coupling-box and its link attached, asseen by removing the top plate or wall of the box.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a coupling-link.

This invention relates to certain novel improvemeuts on that classot'car-couplings which will couple themselves when two cars are broughttogether, and

which will become disconnect-ed in the event of the accidental turningover ot'a car.

The nature of my invention consists-- v First, in forming the. outwardlyflaring opening of the coupling-box of two hinged or pivoted walls,which are acted upon by springs applied to the internal link abutment,and in the employment, at the upper portion of such flaring opening, ofa double beveled wedge, applied to a vibrating arm, and madelongitudinally movable by means of said arm, whereby the side walls orgates ot' the box can be separated at their rear ends for allowing theremoval of the coupling-link or'bar, and the uncoupling of twoca'rs, aswill behereinafler explained.

Second, ina coupling-link having formed upon its cnd or ends narrowelongated necks, terminating in triangular or double-beveled heads, aswill ,be hereinafter explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings- A A represent the upper and lowerhorizontal walls of the coupling-box, and E E are the front wallsthereof.

The upper and lower walls A A are secured togethcr, so as to leave aproper vertical space between them, by means of three posts, B B and C,the latter one of which is arranged in the longitudinal median line ofthe box, and in such relation to the rear ends of the gates E E as toserve the purpose of an abutment for the coupling-link during'the act ofefl'ecting a coupling.

The two side posts B B serve as lateral abutments E from separatingunduly.

The gates'E are pivoted at i i to the upper and lower walls A A, so asto swing freely, and they are made strong and substantial.

These gates constitute the oblique walls of the en trance for thecoupling-link, and their rear ends are acted by springs D D, which holdthem in the position indicated in fig. 4, in black lines, and allowthese .ends to be moved apart, as indicated by dotted lines in thistigure.

On the inferior side of the superior wall A of the boxis a wedge G,which is connected to the shortcst end of a lever F, by'a pin 0, that isfree to play in a longitudinally oblong slot 1), made through thesuperior wall A. By vibrating lever F the wedge G will i receive alongitudinal movement, and by means of this wedge and its lever a personcan spread apart the rear ends of the gates E, andallow the couplinglinkto be withdrawn, without the necessity of getting between theplattbrmsot' the cars.

The link J has an open elliptical body g, terminated at opposite endsot' the longest'diarneter of the ellipse, by narrow necks ff and heads ee. V

The gates E E catch and hold the link by its heads 0, and whenever it isnecessary to effect a coupling with a car which has the well-known formof couplingpin, the pinwill be dropped through the link g, the oppositeend of the coupling-link being held by its head and the gates E. Y

I- am aware that hinged gates have been hitherto used in car-couplings,and also that it is not new to employ a coupling-link withcoup]ing-shoulders formed on its extremities, and therefore I do notclaim such coutrivances as my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The post 0, serving as a spring support, and also as an abutment forcoupling-bars, in combination with the hinged gates E, substantially asdescribed.

2. The two' hinged or pivoted gates E E, adapted to form the sides ofthe coupling-box, the springs D D, applied totbar C, behind said wings,and a longitudinally movable wedge G, arranged in front and at the upperends of said gates E E, substantially as described.

CHARLES W. BENSON.

Witnesses RICHARD C. WATERS, JAMES J. ENGLISH.

